Tasked with planning a holiday party for the office? Looking for a fun, new activity for an upcoming family get-together? Why not hop aboard The Beer Bus?!
{Holiday Parties Aboard The Beer Bus}
Wait… What’s a Beer Bus?
The Beer Bus is just as it sounds – a former school bus that has been converted into a tour bus! Except instead of visiting your typical Toronto tourist traps, this bus takes you to some of the city’s best breweries for customizable tastings.
The Story
Founders (and fiancés) Emily McCauley and Paul Izdebski have travelled all over the world together, making a point to discover the local food and drinks of every area they visit. When the couple moved from Toronto to Collingwood, they realized that their new home was surrounded by some of the best beer, wine, and cider in the country. They got to thinking: if wine tours were so popular, why couldn’t beer tours be created, to showcase the incredible local craft beers in Ontario? Emily and Paul set out to find a school bus in order to make their Beer Bus dreams a reality.
The O.G.
The Beer Bus launched in Collingwood in March 2017, offering 3 different tour options. Each tour provided stops at 3-4 local establishments, including tastings of several beers, ciders, or wines at each location, and appetizers or lunch at one stop.
Back Home
With so many incredible breweries in Toronto, Paul and Emily knew that they wanted to expand their business to the city. In mid-July, they launched the Toronto branch of The Beer Bus, where I got the chance to spend a very fun Sunday.
My Trip
I had an absolute blast on The Beer Bus Toronto! Some highlights included:
- Customizable tastings
- Minimum of 4 samples at each of 3 different breweries
- Informative (but not overwhelming) guided tours
- A relaxed pace that allowed me to enjoy the beers and the company
- Opportunities to purchase my favourite beers at each stop
The Full Deets
A few weeks ago, I joined a happily rowdy crowd for the popular “Sunday in the 6ix” tour aboard the Beer Bus Toronto. The Bus picked us up in front of City Hall (near Queen subway station) at 11:30 am. Connor, the operator and tour guide for the Beer Bus Toronto, explained the program for the day, let us know about the unlimited snacks and non-alcoholic drinks available aboard the bus, and off we went!
Our first stop was The Rorschach Brewing Company on Eastern Avenue. We got a tour of the facilities from the Brewmaster himself, and then headed upstairs to the patio for a tasting and some appetizers. My favourite part about this stop was that we got to pick our own samples from the extensive on-tap menu. This made for a great icebreaker, as we were all able to chat about the differences between our picks and learn a bit more about our beer preferences. My fave? Acquisition, a dry-hopped sour.
Next up, we headed to Left Field Brewery on Wagstaff Drive. Here, we learned how beer is made and got to see some of the equipment in use. We then picked up our flights and got to drinking! My pick here was Sunlight Park, a refreshing grapefruit saison.
Finally, we travelled to Amsterdam Brewery on Esander Drive. A fun surprise here was that Connor himself poured our beers & guided us through the tasting! While there was no tour of this facility, the personal touch of Connor being our bartender made this a truly memorable stop. My fave drink here was the Raspberry Wheat, a surprising all-natural beer with a lovely berry flavour.
After that, we headed back on the bus and drove back to City Hall, arriving around 5 pm.
The Verdict
I had a fantastic time on this tour! Despite not being a huge beer drinker, I learned a lot, had a ton of fun, and even discovered a few new brews to add to my list. Connor struck the perfect balance between relaxed and knowledgeable; he provided us with some key Toronto- and beer-related facts and effortlessly navigated the Toronto streets while still allowing us the space to have our own fun.
I would absolutely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a unique way to explore the city with some friends, as a excellent date idea, or as a pain-free holiday party idea for any gathering (of folks 19 and up, that is). Not a big drinker yourself, but have some stockings to stuff or Santas to keep Secret? The Bus has you covered with their $50 or $100 gift card options!
Even better, with tours of both the East end and the West end available, Torontonians can stay loyal to their ‘hood (#TheAnnexforlife), or branch out and find new hangouts. The Bus has launched a few new tours for the season, and Paul and Emily are always happy to organize a custom experience for private events.
The bottom line: For $90-$105/person, you get 4 hours of fun, snacks, and drinks, all while supporting local businesses. I love me some Ms. Frizzle, but this Bus has its own type of magic.
Tours are offered daily in Collingwood, as well as 6 days a week in Toronto. To find out more or to book your spot at either location, head to http://www.thebeerbus.ca!